National Talent Squads Announced

The Irish Rugby Football Union today announced 94 selected players for the Under-18 Clubs, Under-18 Schools and Under-19 National Talent squads for the season.

The National Talent squads are part of the IRFU's High Performance pathway and consists of underage players who have been identified at this point in their development for progression to international team representation.

The selection process has been based on their interprovincial competition performances and also the national screening camps that took place during October.

Once the players are named in the squad for this season, they are continually assessed on all aspects of their rugby progression from skills to physical development.

IRFU High Performance Manager Allen Clarke said: "The announcement of the National Talent squads reflects significant advancements in our elite player development programs.

"This progress has been greatly assisted by the contribution of schools, clubs and the number of quality volunteers who add significant value through their commitment and support of the Regional Development squads (RDS) program."

He added: "The players have been selected following their performances in the interprovincial competitions in September and national screenings in October.

"Playing rugby for their schools or clubs, they receive additional specific support from provincial Academy experts, based on individual needs, to prepare them for the respective International fixtures at Ireland Under-18 Clubs, Ireland Under-18 Schools and Ireland Under-19 levels.

"It is important to note that the squads are not 'ring fenced' - the performances of all players continue to be evaluated through the game, allowing for late developers and rewarding performances on the field."